Tag Archives: Frontier Greys

The end of the regular season for the Frontier League is just the beginning of some difficult decisions for various teams and cities.

News has gotten out that The Traverse City Beach Bums are looking to sell and possibly become a team in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league, next year.

The Traverse Ticker reported that an official announcement may be coming this month once the season ends, but everyone with the team is being quiet for now.

“At this time we’re not ready to make an announcement about anything in reference to that,” says Joe Chamberlin, who is slated to become CEO of the Grand Rapids area-based team at the end of the 2018 season. “We’ve known [Beach Bums owners] John and Leslye Wuerfel for many years.”

Beach Bums Chief Financial Officer and General Manager Leslye Wuerfel did not respond to requests for comment on a possible sale.

As the CornBelters closed their ninth Frontier League season Sunday, team president Steve Malliet sees his franchise in much the same position it was a year ago.In other words, the Belters may have played their final Frontier League game.

“Just like last year, we always take a look at our options at the end of the year to see what we think is best for the organization moving forward,” Malliet said.

In July, The Herald News reported that the city of Joliet was looking to expand the use of the stadium beyond baseball and it seems as if they were keeping their options open.

The Slammers, who are in a one-year lease with the city that ends this month, said that they need an agreement soon to stay in the Frontier League.

The Slammers’ attorney, Michael Hansen, spoke this week with both the full City Council and the council’s Stadium Committee, noting the team needs to assure the Frontier League that it has a place to play next year.

“We have obligations in the league to let them know that we will field a team by mid-September,” Hansen said. “Time is of the essence.”

As of July when the issue was first brought to attention, it sounded as if the Slammers would be coming back.

Council member Michael Turk, a member of the Stadium Committee who has been asking the staff for status updates on lease negotiations, said he believes the plan is to renew with the Slammers.

“I haven’t heard that we are looking at anybody but the Slammers,” Turk said.

But the city and Slammers so far have not begun negotiations, he said.

“Once we see what they’re looking at, and they see what we’re looking at, I expect it will go pretty quickly,” he said.

The Frontier League released the schedules for their teams today, but they look much different than last year’s. That is because the league has gone from 14 teams to 12 for the 2016 season.

Throughout the season, there were signs that the Rockford Aviators were faltering. Attendance was at an all-time low (averaging less than 1,000 fans per game), financial problems were apparent and in June, MKE Sports & Entertainment was forced to terminate its managed service contract with the team.

According to the Rockford Register Star, “Commissioner Bill Lee ruled that MKE Sports & Entertainment’s contract with the team violates the league bylaws because the owner of MKE Sports & Entertainment, Michael Zimmerman, owns multiple baseball teams in another league.”

Then late in the season, the Frontier League took over day-to-day operations of the Aviators, all but cementing the fact that the team would fold at the end of the season.

With the loss of the Aviators, the Frontier League was able to dismantle their travel team, the Frontier Greys, which had been in place since the London Rippers folded in the middle of the 2013 season.